PERFORMANCE, PACKAGED

Fowler Products Introduces Its Highest Speed Inspection/Rejection Capping Solution

Sep 25, 2014

ATHENS, Georgia ― Fowler Products, powered by ProMach, Inc., introduced today its highest speed inspection/rejection system for capping applications – the system can cap and inspect more than 900 bottles per minute. Fowler’s unique approach to failsafe inspection/rejection is designed for pharmaceutical, personal care, and food companies seeking verification that every cap is properly applied.

In Fowler’s approach to inspection/rejection, bottles failing inspection are shunted off to a reject lane before they leave the capping machine. This assures that the bottle identified to be rejected is absolutely the bottle that is rejected. Furthermore, Fowler’s unique design gently diverts a rejected bottle off to a reject lane so that the bottle remains upright and does not spill its contents contaminating the packaging line.

“Because the system is integral to the capping machine, we can absolutely assure customers that the proper bottle has been rejected,” said Randy Uebler, Vice President & General Manager for Fowler. “The bottle identified as failing one or more quality conditions remains in positive control all the way from its station within the machine to the reject lane.”

The failsafe Fowler system rejects bottles for improper torque, missing cap, high cap, and/or cocked cap. The system also rejects bottles if the under-cap liners are missing. Every bottle must pass these quality checks before it is allowed to leave the machine.

Electronic torque control, machine vision, and various other sensor technologies are used in the inspection portion of the system. With failsafe logic, even the sensor hardware is monitored for proper functionality. Using failsafe logic, all bottles are tagged as “faulty” entering the machine and each inspection criteria must be satisfied as “good” before the system will allow a bottle to be discharged from the machine to the next downstream operation.

The breakthrough in speed is the result of utilizing state-of-the-art linear motors for high velocity, precise motion actuation of the multi-finger rejection portion of the system. The linear motor actuators smoothly guide the bottle to the rejection lane without holding up or otherwise interfering with the bottle next in line. “This incorporation of linear motors in place of previously used pneumatic cylinders has allowed us to reach a new level of performance in speed and accuracy,” says Uebler.

For more information on Fowler Products’ new high-speed, failsafe capping inspection/rejection system, call 1-877-549-3301 and visit www.FowlerProducts.com.

About ProMach

ProMach is a family of best-in-class packaging and processing solution brands serving manufacturers of all sizes and geographies in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, and household and industrial goods industries. ProMach brands operate across the entire production line: processing, filling, bottling and capping, decorative labeling, flexibles and trays, pharma, handling and sterilizing, labeling and coding, and robotics and end of line. ProMach also provides systems and integration including turnkey solutions, design/build, engineering services, and productivity software to optimize production line design and deliver maximum uptime.

ProMach designs, manufactures, integrates, and supports the most sophisticated and advanced packaging and processing solutions in the global marketplace. Its diverse customer base, from Fortune 500 companies to smaller, privately-held businesses worldwide, depends on reliable, flexible, technologically advanced equipment and integrated solutions. ProMach is headquartered near Cincinnati, Ohio, with manufacturing facilities and offices throughout North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. For more information about ProMach, visit www.ProMachBuilt.com and for more information on ProMach Careers, visit www.ProMachCareers.com.